Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Planets and Archetypes 13

I believe there was a further reason that the later Jung invoked the Kantian framework so often when he discussed archetypes. If I can try to sum up a complex situation briefly, it would seem that Jung unwittingly conflated the issue of archetypal multivalence with the issue of whether archetypes could be directly knowable. On the one hand, Jung recognized and often stressed the fact that archetypes are always observed and experienced in a diverse multiplicity of possible concrete embodiments, so that the full essence and meaning of the archetype must be regarded as fundamentally transcending its many particular manifestations. On the other hand, however, he often conflated this crucial insight with the quite separate epistemological issue of whether archetypes can be directly experienced and known as principles that transcend the human psyche, or whether they can only be indirectly inferred by observing the configurations of psychological phenomena which are structured by archetypes that are ultimately unknowable in themselves (noumena). In his understandable attempt to preserve the multivalent indeterminacy of archetypes, transcending every particular embodiment, Jung called upon a Kantian framework of phenomenon and noumenon which seemed to entail the unknowability of the archetypes in themselves, their humanly unreachable essence beyond every diverse manifestation.

Jung seems not to have fully grasped the epistemological and ontological possibility of a genuine direct participation (in both the Platonic sense and the contemporary sense of co-creative enaction) in a dynamically multivalent archetype that in some sense remains indeterminate until concretely enacted. This theoretical limitation also informed and, I believe, helped produce Jung's many contradictory and confusing statements about the unconscious and the psyche, and about various metaphysical and spiritual issues such as God and the God-image, that fueled his famous controversies with Martin Buber and Fr. Victor White.

Jung's occasional unclarity about the nature of archetypes seems also to have been increased by his unconscious conflation of two different Kantian ideas in his discussions of archetypes. Jung saw archetypes, on the one hand, as a priori forms and categories, and on the other hand, as unknowable transcendent noumena which exist behind and beyond all phenomena (a point made by de Voogd, op. cit.). Thus for Jung, archetypes were essentially fulfilling both functions in the Kantian framework ”categories of experience and noumenal things-in-themselves ”but he did not seem aware that he moved back and forth between these two separate functions in his various statements and formulations.

Doubtless part of the confusion underlying Jung's many discussions of archetypes reflects the extremely complex and enigmatic problem of projection ”namely, how constellated archetypes can configure our lived reality and give meaning to our experience not only by shaping and constituting our perceptions but also, at times, by deeply distorting them. This issue is connected with another, equally complex and enigmatic. For in the background of Jung's conflicting philosophical loyalties and statements loomed his lifelong struggle with the disenchanted modern cosmos, which he both took seriously and saw through, and which had similarly shaped and confused Kant's philosophical struggles and formulations. Against the overwhelming contemporary scientific consensus concerning the disenchanted nature of the cosmos and the workings of nature, Jung could never be quite sure how much trust he should place in his spiritually revelatory observations and intuitions concerning a world embedded with purpose and meaning, despite the fact that the data repeatedly seemed to break out of a subjectivist or psychologistic confinement. So he hedged his bets by frequent allusions to Kant's philosophical strictures.

Since Jung's death, the extraordinary expansion of astrological research and evidence (compared with the more limited astrological data Jung was working with in his own lifetime), combined with a deeper philosophical and psychological understanding of the complex ontology and epistemology of archetypes, has helped to clarify the challenging issues with which he was increasingly confronted with each passing decade of his life and work. These issues have important philosophical implications beyond the fields of psychology and astrology. I believe that many of the major points of conflict and ambiguity within the postmodern mind concerning the social construction of knowledge, projection, subjectivism, relativism, pluralism, and participation will be helpfully illuminated by these developments in the archetypal astrological field.

An especially valuable resource for engaging some of these fundamental issues in postmodern thought outside the Jungian and astrological contexts, particularly as they concern the philosophy and psychology of religion, is Jorge Ferrer's Revisioning Transpersonal Theory: A Participatory Vision of Human Spirituality (Albany, New York: State University of New York Press, 2002).

Planets and Archetypes 14

6. The ancient Greek root for the word planet ”planetes ”meant wanderer, and signified not only Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn but also the Sun and Moon ”i.e., all the visible celestial bodies that, unlike the fixed stars, moved through the sky in ways that differed from the simple single motion and eternal regularity of the diurnal westward movement of the entire heavens. Though sometimes a distinction is made between planets and luminaries, the astrological tradition has generally retained this original meaning, referring to the Sun and Moon as planets. One finds this usage in the European literary tradition as well, as in Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida : Therefore is the glorious planet Sol / In noble eminence enthroned and sphered.

7. See A. E. Taylor's translation of Plato's Philebus and Epinomis , with an introduction by R. Klibansky (London: Thomas Nelson, 1956).

8. I first discussed the issue of Uranus's archetypal meaning in a monograph entitled Prometheus the Awakener, written in 1978-79 and privately distributed among colleagues. A preliminary analysis intended mainly for the Jungian, archetypal psychology, and astrological communities, it was later published in the National Council of Geocosmic Research Monographs (1981) and, in slightly expanded form under the title Uranus and Prometheus, in the Spring Journal of Archetypal Psychology and Jungian Thought (1983). Both versions were published in several other astrological journals in Europe and the United States during the following decade. The monograph was later published as a small book in an expanded version as Prometheus the Awakener, first in England (Oxford: Auriel Press, 1993) and subsequently in the U.S. (Woodstock, Conn.: Spring Publications, 1995). Other discussions of the parallels between the astrological Uranus and the mythological Prometheus can be found in Stephen Arroyo, Astrology, Karma, and Transformation (1978), p. 40, the earliest mention of the correspondence of which I am aware; and in Liz Greene, The Art of Stealing Fire (London: CPA Press, 1996), a more recent, longer treatment which draws, in part, on my monograph.

9. William James, Human Immortality (1898): In cases of conversion, in providential leadings, sudden mental healing's, etc., it seems to the subjects themselves of the experience as if a power from without, quite different from the ordinary action of the senses or of the sense-led mind, came into their life, as if the latter suddenly opened into that greater life in which it has its source. The word ˜influx,' used in Swedenborgian circles, well describes this impression of new insight, or new willingness, sweeping over us like a tide. . . . We need only suppose the continuity of our consciousness with a mother sea, to allow for exceptional waves occasionally pouring over the dam.

10. Both Heraclitus and Euripides identified Dionysus and Hades as one and the same deity, an identification that parallels modern astrological observations of archetypal phenomena associated with the planet Pluto.

Copyright 2004 by Richard Tarnas

Monday, February 15, 2010

Mazzaroth: The Biblical Saga

The twelve major constellations of the Zodiac are referred to in the bible as the "Mazzaroth." The word "Zodiac" comes from the Greek zoad, which means "the way" or "the path." According to many Christian scholars, God depicted his story and his promise of salvation within the stars.

The saga begins with Virgo (a virgin) bringing forth a son. Libra (balance) follows, an indication that man does not possess the power to save himself. The price is deficient. A scorpion and an archer appear together, symbolizing the battle between Satan (Scorpio the Scorpion) and Jesus Christ (Sagittarius the Archer). The intent of Satan is to sting (and thereby kill) Christ in order to thwart God's plan of salvation. The archer has his bow drawn toward Satan and the half-man half-horse depicts the dual nature of Jesus Christ: God and man. Next, comes Capricorn, an animal which is part-goat and part-fish. The goat was often used in sacrificial ceremonies to cleanse sins on the day of atonement. Christ was, in effect, that perfect sacrifice, adopting the sins of the world. A water-bearer (Aquarius) is next to enter the arena, pouring out an endless supply of water. Within that water are the fish (Pisces) which personify Jesus Christ as one who died to save the human race. Pisces Australia (the southernmost fish) dwells in the flow. As the fish cannot survive outside the water, so this symbolism states that an individual is unable to survive outside the pouring of the Holy Spirit. Pisces is a twofold constellation, representative of both Jew and Gentile who will be bound to Satan until the return of Jesus Christ. Satan, of course, is engaged in constant battle with the Church. Early believers used the sign of Pisces to secretly identify themselves.

A ram (Aries) appears, depicting the reign of Jesus who will soon return, heralding the triumph of the Church over Satan. In the guise of a bull (Taurus), Christ will return to lead the charge and "gore" the evil before setting up his rule on earth. Gemini the Twins presents a picture of the newly-acquired dual role of the savior: the suffering servant and the righteous judge. A crab (Cancer) depicts a place of safety for those believers who will escape the Day of Judgment. In the form of a lion (Leo) will the victory of Christ be complete and the defeated Satan cast down. Thus in glorious triumph, does Leo step upon the head of Hydra the Serpent.

The Incarnate Son (Virgo - Virgin)...Isaiah 7:14
The Redeemer (Libra - Scales)...1 Corinthians 6:20
The Sufferer (Scorpio - Scorpion)...1 Corinthians 15:55-56
The Conqueror (Sagittarius - Archer)...Revelations 6:2
The Sacrifice (Capricorn - Goat)...Romans 3:25
The Living Water (Aquarius - Water-Bearer)...John 7:38
The Liberator (Pisces - Fishes)...Genesis 48:19; Mark 1:17
The Crowned Lamb (Aries - Ram)...Revelations 5:6
The Judge (Taurus - Bull)...John 5:22
The King (Gemini - Twins)...Romans 1:3
The Protector (Cancer - Crab)...Isaiah 4:5-6
The Victor (Leo - Lion)...Revelations 5:5

Mazzaroth and Messiah's Time Periods

Despite the confusion over the constellations among the worldly, the good Hebrew scholars have always known that the Mazzaroth actually shows God's Planned Time Table for Mankind and the work of the Messiah. What!!! Well, let us unravel this mystery a bit more and you will clearly see God's Plan for the Time Periods of the Messiah--and HIS grand design of the Whole Universe!

The worldly calendar runs from January to January. But the Jewish civil calendar begins in Fall (September-October), much earlier. So, what are those constellations or SYMBOLS, beginning in the Fall (in the Hebrew order of things). And what do they mean, in Hebrew--and for Judeo-Christian Theology's sake?

Constellation (Popular Symbol and Hebrew meaning)
Interpretation (Scriptural Reference)

1. VIRGO (The Virgin--Seed of Woman)
The Virgin Birth of the Messiah (Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 2:18-21)

2. LIBRA (Money Balance--Required Price Paid)
Messiah, our Redeemer, purchases our salvation--Atonement (Leviticus 17:11 and Romans 5:8-11)

3. SCORPIO (Scorpian--Sting of Death)
The Mortal (Deadly) Conflict--Messiah suffers in our place, on the Tree of Curses or Cross (Isaiah 53:1-12 and Galatians 3:13)

4. SAGITTARIUS (Archer--The Sky-ward Triumph)
The Final (one-time) Triumph--Messiah dies once for all (Hebrews 7:27, 9:28, and 10:10-14)

5. CAPRICORNUS (Sea-Goat--Life out of Death)
Resurrection of the Messiah, being our First-Fruits and leader forth from the power of the Grave to those who Believe (1 Corinthians 15:3-8, 20-23)--leaving non-believers still bound and under the influence of the Goat (Romans 6:16)!

6. AQUARIUS (Waterbearer--Blessing Poured Out from Victory)
The Promise of the Father or Outpouring (Pentecost)--beginning of the Era of the Churches after Messiah's ascension (Isaiah 44:3, Ezekiel 39:28-29, and Acts 2:1-4)

7. PISCES (Fishes--Deliverance out of Bondage)
The ShuVaH or RETURN of the Holy Israel (at the end of the Churches Era)--the Current Messianic (Jewish-Christian) Movement (Psalms 102:13 and Romans 11:18-25)

8. ARIES (the Ram--Glory out of Humiliation)
The Future Rising of Astaria or KoReY--the Coming Holy Israel of Outer Space (Daniel 7:27 and Revelations 12:1)

9. TAURUS (the Bull--His Glorious Coming)
Messiah's Second Coming--the Return of the Messiah to Earth as the Judge of World (Matthew 24:30-33, 42-51 and Acts 1:11)

10. GEMINI (the Twins--HIS Rule on Earth)
Messiah as the High-King of all the World--and HIS Millennial Reign on the Earth (Matthew 19:28-29 and Revelations 20:1-6)

11. CANCER (the Crab--HIS Possession Held Secure)
Messiah, the Protector of the Holy City of God--and Armageddon, the Last Battle (Revelations 16:13-16 AND 20:7-9)

12. LEO (the Lion--HIS Enemies Destroyed)
Messiah's final destruction of all who oppose God--burning them in the eternal Lake of Fire--Hell (Matthew 25:41 and Revelations 20:10-15)

Consequently, the Mazzaroth, or so called Hebrew zodiac is a plain and open declaration of God's Plan for Mankind, clearly showing the Role of the Messiah (or Christ)! And, in its whole year cycle, shows the whole Plan of God for all of Mankind's Time, even to the End of the World. Clearly these are prophetic types!

The Mazzaroth by Frances Rolleston, 1863.
The Gospel in the Stars by J.A. Seiss, 1884.
The Witness of the Stars by E.W. Bullinger, 1893.
Gods Voice in the Stars: Zodiac Signs and Bible Truths by Kenneth C. Fleming, Loizeaux Brothers, 1981.

The Mystery of the Mazzaroth web page

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Arthur E. Rosengarten: Meaningful Numbers

Meaningful Numbers
by Arthur E. Rosengarten, Ph.D

In the following Table, I have listed by keywords some of the perennial ideas associated with the root numbers and generally applicable to all Western esoteric schools. Eastern cultures too have a deep tradition of number meaning, but their associations are slightly different to those of our own heritage. It should be understood that meaningful numbers, in essence, are pure archetypal structures, and therefore are virtually inexhaustible in scope. It is in the archetypal image that informs conceptual understanding, even in the form of number symbols.

Root Number Meanings in Tarot

ZERO FOOL No-thing, Emptiness, Open Field, Possibility, The Void, Unmanifest
ONE MAGICIAN Unity, Singularity, Thesis, Primacy, Solitude, Point
TWO PRIESTESS Relation, Polarity, Duality, Pair, Antithesis, Line, Counterpoint
THREE EMPRESS Process, Synthesis, Divinity, Trinity, Growth, Progeny,Triangle
FOUR EMPEROR Form, Structure, Earth, Elements, Order, Quaternity, Family, Square
FIVE HIEROPHANT Complexity, Man, Spirit, Ethics, Quintessence, Pentagram
SIX LOVERS Harmony, Equilibrium, Union, Choice, Love, Hexagram
SEVEN CHARIOT Pursuit, Perfection, Quest, Mysticism, Victory, Spectrum
EIGHT STRENGTH Balance, Regeneration, Strength, Solidity, Vitality, Infinity
NINE HERMIT Completion, Individuation, Truth, Soul, Triangle of the Ternary
TEN FORTUNE Perfection, Completion, Mastery, Cycle, Reunification, Return

Introduction To Rosengarten’s Lexicon of Tarot

Note: I have divided the Lexicon into 3 Sections: Part I The Minor Arcana: Pips (Ace -10 of each suit); Part 2 The Minor Arcana: The 16 Court Cards; and Part III: The Major Arcana.

The Minor Arcana

To convey this lexicon concisely and compactly I have developed specific ‘meaning dimensions’ unique to Tarot (see my book, Tarot And Psychology, 2000). Each Tarot card should be understood to contain a unique bandwidth or ‘spectrum’ of meaning. For instance, both problem & solution, negative & positive, subjective & objective aspects are contained within every card’s ‘spectrum’. In the Minor Arcana (Parts I & II) I have primarily emphasized the principles of opposition and multi-dimensionality which have then been further broken down into the following four column headings:

exterior lays out the more general and external dimension of meaning, reversed accounts for the negative poles or compromised direction of meaning, i.e. the shadow side; interior expresses the inner psychological or experiential dimension, and finally, spectrum is meant to capture the totality of the concept described. (developed in detail, in Chapter VI of Tarot And Psychology)

I should also note that “interior” meanings, for the purposes of this discussion, will tend to emphasize more of their psychological/phenomenological nuance rather than particular metaphysical or magical formulations. This emphasis is geared more for the psycho-spiritually eclectic student (beginners to longtime practitioners) and I believe offers a much needed grounding before serious esoteric study of Tarot is undertaken.

Sources

Card meanings in both Lesser and Greater Arcanas have been approached through modern traditions based on the so-called ‘Golden Dawn conventions’ of early 20th century commentators including Waite, Mathers, Crowley, Case, Regardie and others (see Butler’s Dictionary of Tarot, 1975). Given meanings have also been correlated with contributions from the modern symbolist tradition (see Cirlot’s A Dictionary of Symbols, 1962) with an eye to key Jungian constructs (see Samuels, A Critical Dictionary Of Jungian Analysis; 1986, and Stevens, Ariadne’s Clue, 1999). Single word renderings have additionally been revised and upgraded through a synthesis of more contemporary commentators like Greer, Arrien, Pollack, DuQuette et. al. (see Riley’s Tarot Dictionary And Compendium , 1995). Finally, I have added my own interpretative bents, experience, and psychological proclivities based on nearly twenty-five years of practice, experimentation, and publication (Rosengarten, 1985, 1994, 2000). I would also like to acknowledge my first Tarot teachers, Dr. Hillary Anderson and Angeles Arrien of the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, whose rich Tarot teachings have been incorporated into this text as well.

Study

Tarot is primarily an intuitive art based on the blending of archetypal visual imagery within a context of intended synchronicity, or what I have called ‘empowered randomness’. In Tarot and Psychology (2000) I wrote:

It is not the author’s contention that the deck of possibility is some perfectly formulated, all-inclusive, well-oiled, and complete dream machine of psychospiritual omniscience. It too has evolved and will need to evolve further. Rather, I believe Tarot is indeed one finely-tuned, intricately engineered, new class of psychological vehicle with a surplus of horsepower and great versatility for traveling far and wide through the cosmos of the human psyche. (129)

Learning the traditional structure of the deck and the established meanings of the cards is a worthwhile endeavor to achieve before one can truly feel the confidence and authenticity necessary for a more personally creative and effective connection to the cards. As it is said, true spontaneity emerges from discipline. Practice, experimentation, repetition, meditation, and simple playing with the cards on a regular basis, coupled with study and training from qualified teachers and texts of Tarot, is perhaps the best way to gain mastery of the deck. May all users of this basic guidebook apply these sacred symbols in the spirit of utmost sincerity, honesty, respect, and compassion for all beings. As readers of Tarot, we are but honored guests in an ancient temple of mystery and meaning.

Rosengarten’s Lexicon of Tarot 1-1

Part I The Minor Arcana

The Pips (Ace through 10)

[Note: Images describe the standard Rider Waite Tarot and descriptions are taken from Butler’s Dictionary of Tarot (1975). Meanings however are applicable to all decks. Spectrum's are taken from the lexicons in TAROT AND PSYCHOLOGY: SPECTRUM'S OF POSSIBILITY, Arthur Rosengarten, Ph.D., 2000, (Paragon)] All Rights Reserved.

Key Phrases

SWORDS (Air, Clarity, Thinking)

Ace of Swords:

Phrase: "The sword of Wisdom (Prajna); cuts through confusion and emotional attachments; clarity, seeing things as they are; (reversed) confusion or inner clarity.”

Image: A heavenly hand holding forth a sword upright, the tip of which is crowned. The crown is garlanded with two branches, one of which has red berries. Solar 'Yods' are also in the card.

Traditional: Force, triumph, conquest, pure intellect.

Spectrum: (Intelligence) idea/intellect, illusion/confusion, discovery/lucidity.

2 of Swords:

Phrase: "Closeness without merging; friendship and respect; opposites; mutuality, and respect for difference; (reversed) broken trust, abandonment, betrayal, or self-trust.”

Image: A blindfolded figure seated beside the sea, its hands crossed and holding two upright swords. Above, a waxing moon.

Traditional: Conformity, friendship, concordance, opposition, balance, equilibrium.

Spectrum: (Trust) friendship/loyalty, doubt/betray, affinity/respect.

3 of Swords:

Phrase: "Heartbreak and sorrow; the mind penetrating the heart; painful insight; (reversed) denial, or boddhicitta.”

Image: Three swords piercing the same heart.

Traditional: Sorrow, disappointment, tears, struggle, removal, division, delay.

Spectrum: (Sorrow) melancholy/heartbreak, shame/blame, suffering/introspection.

4 of Swords:

Phrase: "Rest and recuperation after long illness; withdrawal, renewal, (reversed) denial of illness or meditation, inner healing.”

Image: The effigy of a knight praying displayed upon a tomb. On the wall three swords hang, point downward. Below him, on the side of the tomb, is another sword.

Traditional: Retreat, solitude, hermit's repose, rest, convalescence, meditation.

Spectrum: (Retreat) rest/withdrawal, stress/isolation, mental cleansing/refueling.

5 of Swords:

Phrase: "Conflict between loyalty to self vs. friends; sadness over loss of two people or things; carrying forward after the change has been made; (reversed) dissociation, or consciously dividing attention.”

Image: A man holding two swords over his left shoulder; a third points downward in his right hand. On the ground near him are two other swords. Two figures walk away in dejection. An expression of malicious triumph is upon his face.

Traditional: Defeat, loss, failure, slander, degradation and destruction, sadness, mourning.

Spectrum: (Despair) strife/defeat, pessimism/disdain, division/dissonance.

6 of Swords:

Phrase: "Life journey and transition; crossing perilous deep waters seeking the other side; need to keep your wits (awareness) in the boat or risk capsizing into deep waters below (unconscious); the boatsman is your inner guide, the woman and child are important sub-personalities on the journey (the ‘nurturer’ and the ‘vulnerable’ within]; (reversed) failure to act, recklessness, or inner journey.”

Image: Two hooded figures seated in a boat which also contains six swords, point downward. The boat is poled by a man.

Traditional: Success after anxiety, journey by sea, travel, journey of flesh or spirit.

Spectrum: (Transition) passage/flight, escape/paralysis, journey/change.

7 of Swords:

Phrase: "Carrying a conflict at the expense of a friendship or relationship; martyrdom and betrayal; scheming while in confusion; (reversed) dazed and confused.”

Image: A man stealing away from a crusader's camp with five swords. Two others remain, point downward, in the ground behind him.

Traditional: Design, attempt, new schemes, vacillation, uncertainty.

Spectrum: (Defense) futility/resignation, evasion/avoidance, stealth/deceit.

8 of Swords:

Phrase: "Self-imposed ego; cognitive distortions; to be bound and blinded by one's own negative thoughts; (reversed) clinical depression, immobilization.

Image: A blindfolded figure standing bound, three swords stand on its right, five on its left.

Traditional: Conflict, criticism, blame, obstacles, danger, indecision, imprisonment.

Spectrum: (Interference) oppression/paralysis, guilt/entrapment, powerlessness/helplessness.

9 of Swords:

Phrase: "Depression, worry, mental anguish, distortion, (reversed) self doubt, rumination, suicidality.

Image: A figure sits up on a bed, covers its eyes, weeping. Behind it nine horizontal swords. The bedcover is decorated with a design of squares which contain, alternating red roses with the planetary signs and those for the houses.

Traditional: Worry, suffering, despair, cruelty, desolation, death.

Spectrum: (Distortion) hopelessness/agony, depression/doom, shadow/demons.

10 of Swords:

Phrase: "End of your rope; paralysis leading to surrender; no more struggle; Hell Realm; ego death; return to the source; (reversed) fear of annihilation, fragmentation, or ‘turning it over’ to a higher source.”

Image: A man laying face downward. His back is pierced with ten standing swords.

Traditional: Ruin, pain, desolation, karmic results, the beginning of harmony.

Spectrum: (Surrender) ruin/rebirth, denial/repression, turning it over/release.

Rosengarten’s Lexicon of Tarot 1-2

CUPS (Water, Heart, Feeling & Healing)

Ace of Cups :

Phrase: "Emotional fulfillment on every level, happiness, abundance; (reversed) emotionally cutoff, or spiritual devotion.”

Image: A hand from the heavens, holding a golden chalice which is also a fountain. From the fountain five streams of water and 'Yods' fall into a lotus pool. On the cup is inscribed the letter 'M' reversed. A white dove flies downward into the cup bearing a white circle with a cross in its beak.

Traditional: Transcendental love, joy, happiness, abundance.

Spectrum: (Emotion) receptivity/fluidity, despair/numbness, desire/ecstasy.

2 of Cups:

Phrase: "Emotional reciprocity--coming together on heart level; falling in love; union, the loving relationship; (reversed) relational friction, urge to merge, or soror mystica (spiritual union).”

Image: Two lovers holding cups. Above them hovers the winged head of a lion with caduceus.

Traditional: Coming together, marriage, and healing.

Spectrum: (Relation) union/intercourse, fusion/abandonment, attraction/appreciation.

3 of Cups:

Phrase: "Experience of joy; process of (feminine) relatedness; sharing, natural flow of spontaneous emotion; (reversed) bitterness, over-celebration, or shared ecstasy.”

Image: Three women in an abundant field holding aloft cups.

Traditional: Pleasure, abundance, fertility.

Spectrum: (Expression) celebration/joy, protest/bitterness, affection/sharing.

4 of Cups:

Phrase: "Trying to grasp or actualize the 'missing piece' (in relationships); discontentment owing to lack of structure, definition, or relational form; (reversed) unformed boundaries, or emotional intelligence.”

Image: A dreamer sitting before a tree. On the ground near him are three cups. From heaven a hand offers a fourth cup.

Traditional: Discontent with present conditions, weariness and disgust, blended pleasures, new acquaintance.

Spectrum: (Expectation) comfort/discomfort, apathy/lethargy, promise/probability.

5 of Cups:

Phrase: "Mourning the loss of some important emotional process; crying over spilled milk; a new love experience awaits completion of necessary grieving; (reversed) denial, shock, complicated bereavement, or separation-individuation .”

Image: A man in black standing disconsolate beside a river. On the ground are three cups before him, overturned, and two behind him upright.

Traditional: Disappointment, separation, lack of harmony, loss of friendship or pleasure.

Spectrum: (Separation) loss/grief, devastation/shock, clinging/letting go.

6 of Cups:

Phrase: "Reawakening the sweet scents of bygone dreams; nostalgia tied to childhood or adolescence; remembering; the tenderness of youth; (reversed) maudlin or fixated in past; deep yearning."

Image: Six cups with white, five-pointed flowers. A small boy offers a girl one of them. Six cups filled with assorted flowers.

Traditional: Working through the past, the faded past, memories, nostalgia.

Spectrum: (Memory) sentiment/nostalgia, regret/fixation, tenderness/yearning.

7 of Cups:

Phrase: "Overspeculation leads to indecision (Hamlet); many roads; overwhelmed by too many choices, best to pick one (or risk the pitfall of paralysis); (reversed) lack of options, failure of imagination, or active awareness of sub-personalities.

Image: Seven cups seen in the heavens by a silhouetted figure. From one cup arises the head of an angel. From another arises a serpent. From another, a castle. In a fourth, jewels. In the fifth, a monster. In the sixth is a shrouded figure with a halo. And in the seventh is a wreath. The seventh cup is doubly interesting in that the skull design on its side comments upon the contents. It is the only one of the cups to do so.

Traditional: Illusory success, imagination and vision, debauchery, external splendor/internal corruption.

Spectrum: (Multiplicity) fantasy/possibility, fragment/projection, choice/profusion.

8 of Cups:

Phrase: "Inner journey, dark night of the soul, instinctive pulls inward; outer world on automatic; follow your feelings; inner directed; (reversed) loss of control, loss of soul, loss of self.

Image: A desolate night scene. A man turns his back on eight cups and walks away under a waning crescent moon.

Traditional: Abandoned success, impractical in money matters, going inward.

Spectrum: (Retreat) journey/withdrawal, decompensate/stagnate, descend/divest.

9 of Cups:

Phrase: "Pleasure and happiness; satiety and abundance, emotional satisfaction; (reversed) overindulgence, consumption, and addiction, or self-satisfaction.”

Image: A portly merchant sitting in satisfaction before a row of cups.

Traditional: Material success, happiness, truth, loyalty, liberty.

Spectrums of Possibility: (Fulfillment) pleasure/enjoyment, indulgence/addiction, sustenance/satisfaction.

10 of Cups:

Phrase: "Falling in love; intoxication, bliss, larger than life (inflation); 'rainbows in the sky' (impermanence); (reversed) emotionally empty, overflow, or the numinosum.”

Image: A man and woman beholding a rainbow of cups in the heavens. Near them two children are dancing (W/R). A pair of lovers. She wears a rose in her hair. Above are nine small cups and a tenth larger one into which a rainbow is pouring.

Traditional: Perpetual success, happiness to come, contentment, friendship.

Spectrum: (Inspiration) affirmation/gratitude, inflation/deflation, excitement/infatuation.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Rosengarten’s Lexicon of Tarot 1-3

WANDS/RODS (Fire, Spirit, Energy)

Ace of Wands:

Phrase: "New beginnings, birth of creative spirit, creative essence, empowerment; (reversed) primal chaos, or spiritual enlightenment.”

Image: A hand holding forth a wand in leaf from the clouds. Other leaves, in the shape of 'Yods" are also seen.

Traditional: Creation, invention, enterprise, energy, strength, powers of fire, birth, activity, initiative, male libido.

Spectrum: (Aspiration) initiation/creation, darkness/frenzy, individuation/adventure.

2 of Wands:

Phrase: "World/spirit split; new creative possibilities; imagination; power over others; creative partnership; (reversed) lack of imagination; or telepathy."

Image: A man standing on a battlement looking out over the sea. In his right hand he holds a globe, in his left, a wand. To his right, resting against the wall, is another wand. To his left, and upon the wall is a St. Andrew Cross, one transverse arm of which is white lilies, the other being formed from red roses.

Traditional: Dominion; influence over another; occult knowledge; love of battle and challenge; worldly riches.

Spectrum: (Choice) synthesis/convergence, confusion/anxiety, possibility/resonance.

3 of Wands:

Phrase: "Potential expansion; choice between 'path of the one' or 'path of the two’ (self or other), seeking direction; (reversed) loss of direction, loss of intention; or envisioning."

Image: A man looking out over what could be the sea or a desert. The background color in this card is sometimes yellow, yielding a yellow sea.) His right hand holds one wand, to his left stands another. Slightly behind him to his right stands a third.

Traditional: Established strength, effort, discovery.

Spectrum: (Intention) effort/action, ambivalence/impotence, visualization/direction.

4 of Wands:

Phrase: "Creative single lifestyle, structuring energy; (reversed) writer’s block, scattered resources, or inner discipline.”

Image: Wands in leaf garlanded with flowers. Behind are people apparently celebrating.

Traditional: Domestic tranquility, prosperity, peace.

Spectrum: (Creation) freedom/passage, status-quo/inactivity, appreciation/integration.

5 of Wands:

Phrase: "Conflict or strife; competition; upsetting words without meaning; surface arguments without touching real feelings; (reversed) inner battle, inner critics, or inner judo.

Image: Five youths playing with wands as staves.

Traditional: Quarreling, fighting, opposition, competition, lawsuits, strife.

Spectrum: (Conflict) competition/struggle, passive-aggression/combat, division/multiplicity.

6 of Wands:

Phrase: "Marching into battle anticipating supreme success; mobilizing one's resources and supports; martialing confidence and optimism in the face of difficulty; (reversed) loss of confidence, fear of failure, or activating sub-personalities.”

Image: Young person on horseback, riding in triumph. His wand has a victor's wreath. He is accompanied by other men on foot who bear wands.

Traditional: Victory after strife; attempt, hope, desire, expectation.

Spectrum: (Optimism) achievement/victory, arrogance/defeatism, confidence/anticipation.

7 of Wands:

Phrase: "Valor in the face of difficulty; digging in and taking a stand; (reversed) entrenched, stalemate, persistence.”

Image: An embattled man using his wand as a staff to fight off six attacking staves.

Traditional: Valor, negotiations, competition, caution, challenge.

Spectrum: (Persistence) tests/obstructions, stubbornness/inflexibility, loyalty/positionality.

8 of Wands:

Phrase: "Highly potent channeled energy; intentionality, assertiveness, goal-directed; intense psychic connections; potent love affair; (reversed) one-sidedness, jealousy, failure to focus, or clairvoyance.

Image: Eight wands flying through the air parallel to each other. Their flight is apparently terminating.

Traditional: Activity, swiftness, high energy, arrows of jealousy.

Spectrum: (Goal) assertion/movement, aimless/dispersed, focus/direction. .

9 of Wands:

Phrase: "Power and victory; strength in opposition; creative power; psychic alignment; (reversed) misuse of power, black magic, or channeling.

Image: A man leaning upon a staff. His head is bandaged. Behind him stand eight other stave.

Traditional: Preparedness, strength, power, health energy, realization of success.

Spectrum: (Force) power/dominion, domination/bullying, potency/alertness.

10 of Wands:

Phrase: "Overburdened; heavy load; burnout and exhaustion; too much on your pallet; (reversed) work-aholism, overwhelmed, over-stimulation or recharging, refueling.

Image: A man carrying a bundle of ten heavy wands.

Traditional: Oppression, cruelty, karma, exhaustion.

Spectrum: (Oppression) burden/overextention, entrapment/abuse, depletion/exhaustion.

Rosengarten’s Lexicon of Tarot 1-4

PENTACLES/Disks (Earth, Wealth, Solidity)

Ace of Pentacles:

Phrase: "Bringing to fruition; solidification; seeding, planting, grounding; wealth and material comfort; (reversed) density, inertia, matter or anchoring and establishing roots.”

Image: A hand from the heavens holding a yellow coin which is inscribed on a pentagram. Below it is a garden, hedged with red roses, filled with white lilies.

Traditional: Favorable conditions, material wealth, abundance and prosperity, profit.

Spectrum: (Manifestation) conception/seed, inertia/chaos, ground/core.

2 of Pentacles:

Phrase: "The juggler; staying in balance; harmonious change; juggling two distinct parts; balancing opposites; (reversed) clumsiness, splitting, or tai chi, inner balance, attunement.

Image: A young man dancing near the sea. In his hands he is juggling two pentacles which are surrounded by the lemniscate.

Traditional: Harmony in the midst of change, change in all forms, the juggler, obstacles and difficulty.

Spectrum: (Polarity) balance/change, splitting/onesidedness, grace/health.

3 of Pentacles:

Phrase: "Building your own temple; constructing your world from the ground up; craft and self-creation; individuation process (reversed) sloppiness, indolence, dependence, or taking responsibility.”

Image: A monk and a hooded man observing a stonemason at his work.

Traditional: Construction, material gain, business, skilled labor, trade, craftsmanship.

Spectrum: (Construction) working/crafting, impeding/defiling, concretizing/building.

4 of Pentacles:

Phrase: "In need of solidity and earthly power; structuring your material and practical concerns, financial planning; (reversed) greed, hoarding, attachment to form, or ritualizing connection to earth, the four directions, grounding.”

Image: A king sits brooding. On his crown rests one pentacle. He hugs another in his lap. The third and fourth are beneath his feet.

Traditional: Skill in physical forces, material benefits, acquisitiveness, security.

Spectrum: (Form) power/gain, attachment/avarice, structure/shape.

5 of Pentacles:

Phrase: " Reversal of fortune; survival; on the outside looking in; paying your dues, feeling humility or humiliation, homelessness; begging; (reversed) depravity, shame, servility, or renunciation, non-attachment, initiation.”

Image: Two beggars pass a brightly lighted church window. They hurry through the snow. The pentacles are incorporated into the stained glass windows.

Traditional: Material trouble, loss or reversal of fortune, disorder, chaos, ruin.

Spectrums: (Loss) want/need, covet/envy, humility/adjustment.

6 of Pentacles:

Phrase: "Giving out and taking in; counting and accounting; measuring what you get in return; (reversed) score-keeping, over-scrutiny, compulsivity, miserliness, or equilibrium, accountability; Tonglen.”

Image: A wealthy merchant giving alms to beggars. He holds a golden scales in his left hand.

Traditional: Prosperity, gifts, gratification, measurement.

Spectrum: (Compromise) give/take, obsess/compulse, measure/compare.

7 of Pentacles:

Phrase: "Delay before harvest; patience while waiting; time for consideration, assessment, appraisal, non-action; (reversed) impatience, failure, or incubation, action-in-inaction .”

Image: A farmworker contemplates gloomily six pentacles on a vine, apparently nearly ripe, and a seventh at his feet.

Traditional: Success unfulfilled, delay but with growth, failure, blight.

Spectrum: (Patience) delay/ripen, failure/frustration, incubate/vegetate.

8 of Pentacles:

Phrase: "Apprenticeship, ‘turns things out like hotcakes'; disciplined spontaneity, developing mastery; (reversed) rebelliousness, lethargy, mechanically or inner study, spiritual practice, meditation.”

Image: A woodworker chiseling out a pentagram within a circle. Five of them hang beside him, a seventh rests against his bench and the eighth on the ground beside him.

Traditional: Skill, artfulness, prudence, craftsmanship, ambition, preparation.

Spectrum: (Discipline) study/practice, expediate/rebel, differentiate/repeat.

9 of Pentacles:

Phrase: "Refinement and cultivation; happy leisurely accomplishment; fine things; quality and natural aesthetics, the beautiful garden; (reversed) instinctual gratification, perfectionism, imitation, or aesthetic appreciation, psychological differentiation.”

Image: A woman seen in her vineyard of ripe grapes. On her upraised left hand she holds a bird. Her gown is patterned with flowers in the form of the planetary sign for Venus.

Traditional: Discretion, prudence, accomplishment, worldly achievement.

Spectrum: (Cultivation) abundance/simplicity, nature/instinct, nurture/refine.

10 of Pentacles:

Phrase: "Marriage and Family; security in the community/stability in the home; accumulated wealth, investment in the future; (reversed) family crisis, divorce, fear of commitment, or inner stability, self-esteem, self-nurturance.”

Image: A patriarch seated before his gate. Near him are his dogs, his children and his grandchild. Ripe grapes and crescent moons also figure in this card.

Traditional: Family matters, riches, stable home, prosperity, satisfaction, success.

Spectrum: (Embodiment) prosperity/security, conformity/dissipation, commitment/investment.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Rosengarten’s Lexicon of Tarot 2

Part II The Minor Arcana
The 16 Court Cards

SWORDS (Air, Clarity, Thinking)

Page of Swords:

Phrase: " A student of the mind; detective or spy, making private notes based on subtle observations; checking things out, reality-testing; (reversed) hyper-vigilance or else; keen self-observation.”

Image: A young man standing on a windy hill, brandishing a sword.

Traditional: Vigilant, acute, subtle, deceit, spy or rival, secret service.

Spectrum: (Observation) detachment/cunning, suspicion/paranoia, calculation/caution.

Knight of Swords:

Phrase: "Moves fast, cuts through all nonsense, great skill in penetration; on the quest for clarity; seeker of knowledge; (reversed) obsession, over-intellection.

Image: A knight riding furiously, brandishing his sword, through the wind. His clothing is decorated with butterflies and red birds.

Traditional: Romantic chivalry, skillfulness, martial bravery, cleverness, capacity.

Spectrum: (Insight) focus/discrimination, rationalization/obsession, evaluation/reduction.

Queen of Swords:

Phrase: "Independent, self-sacrificing woman of character; suffers in the service of honesty and clarity; sorrow in response to seeing things as they are; (reversed) animus ridden, manipulative, plotting, or deep penetrating insight.”

Image: A stern queen, sitting on a throne decorated with butterflies and winged cherubs. Her crown is also decorated with butterflies. She holds firmly a sword in her right hand.

Traditional: Familiarity with sorrow, widowhood, dour, mourning, intensely perceptive and intelligent.

Spectrum: (Accuracy) penetration/honest, vindictive/self-righteous, congruence/consistency.

King of Swords:

Phrase: "Impartial and objective knowledge; the judge at court--makes unbiased judgments based on objective facts and presented information; command and authority; (reversed) judgmental, prejudiced, or crystallized awareness.

Image: A stern king seated on a stone throne carved with a waxing crescent, a waning crescent, butterflies and women. His crown incorporates the design of a winged cherub. In his right hand he brandishes a sword.

Traditional: Full of ideas, man in authority, judge or critic, intelligence, captain, lawyer, power.

Spectrum: (Clarity) precision/judgment, intellectualize/judgmental, crystallize/awareness.

CUPS (Water, Heart, Feeling & Healing)

Page of Cups:

Phrase: "Dreamy youth, all sounds good but nothing manifest; romance, poetry, jealousy, passion, moodiness often led by unconscious factors; (reversed) immaturity, lability, ambivalence, wearing one’s heart on their sleeve, the puer aeternus.”

Image: A page standing beside the sea. He holds a cup from which a fish is jumping.

Traditional: A bachelor dreaming of his pleasure; seduction, deception, artifice.

Spectrum: (Vulnerability) innocence/openness, moodiness/lability, affection/dependency.

Knight of Cups:

Phrase: "Seeker of the heart; quest for the holy grail; romantic hero; Braveheart; bodhisattva; seductive troubadour; (reversed) narcissism, effeminism, Don Juanism, quixotic, or bhakti devotion.

Image: A knight, wearing a winged helmet, rides over a desert toward a river and the mountains. He carries a cup. His clothing is decorated with red fish.

Traditional: Dreamer haunted in his vision; lover, rival, seducer; stranger, sailor, drug dealer; occultism, strong sexual tendencies.

Spectrum: (Heart Quest) romance/quest, narcissism/infidelity, passion/idealization.

Queen of Cups:

Phrase: "Healing nurturing Queen, works with psyche, heart, and emotion; Queen of Hearts; (reversed) helper syndrome, codependency, emotional reasoning, or goddess worship.”

Image: A queen sitting on a throne by the sea. She holds an ornate cup decorated with angels. Her throne is decorated with cherub-mermen and incorporates a scallop motif in the heading.

Traditional: Reception, reflection, illusion, a good fair woman honest and devoted, the watery part of water (Crowley).

Spectrum: (Nurturance) care/healing, smothering/punishing, giving/sending.

King of Cups:

Phrase: "The healing, feeling King; today's therapist, doctor, diplomat or social leader primarily involved with compassion and human service; (reversed) con artist, philanderer, or guru, inspirational poet.”

Image: A king seated on a throne which stands on a stone block in the middle of the sea. A fish emblem is pendant from a chain round his neck, repeated as a jumping fish in the background. In his right hand he holds a cup, in his left a lotus scepter.

Traditional: Honest man, philosophical or idealistic; kindness, liberality, generosity.

Spectrum: (Compassion), wisdom/support, manipulate/betray, empathy/sympathy.

WANDS/RODS (Fire, Spirit, Energy)

Page of Wands:

Phrase: "The wanderer or messenger, anonymously bringing forth some secret information or inheritance of great consequence, the faceless envoy; Pied Piper, the stranger, (reversed) fear of commitment, inadequate personality, or Magician’s apprentice.”

Image: A young man, his clothing decorated with salamanders, standing in a desert with a wand.

Traditional: Dark young man, messenger, an envoy, communication.

Spectrum: (Communication) message/information, disguise/obfuscate, sharing/showing.

Knight of Wands:

Phrase: "Impetuous knight, hasty lover, charismatic fire starter; spiritual warrior; gets what he needs and splits; mania, hit and run; (reversed) frustration, rage, spinning his wheels, or alchemist, yogin, magician, or artist.

Image: A knight riding through a desert. His clothing is decorated with salamanders. A fiery plume streams from his helmet.

Traditional: Impulsiveness, pride, traveler, abandonment and flight.

Spectrum: (Determination), pursuit/tenacity, impetuous/explosive, charisma/warrior.

Queen of Wands:

Phrase: "Female executive; the energizer; she runs the king's castle; directed psychic energy; creative projects; the catalyst; (reversed) explosive, catty, impulsive, dampening, or channeler, psychic, transformer.”

Image: A queen on a lion throne. She holds a sunflower in her left hand, a wand in her right. A black cat is before the throne. The designs of lions and sunflowers appear behind her on the canopy.

Traditional: Dark woman, attractive power; passionate anger, fertility, persistent energy.

Spectrum: (Energy) conduit/catalyst, repellent/retardant, pacing/channeling.

King of Wands:

Phrase: “Self-possessed fiery ruler; mastery and effortlessness; at the center of his self-created universe; purification; (reversed) self-destruction, the tyrant, megalomaniac, or visionary; mystic.”

Image: A king on a salamander and lion throne in the desert. His robe is decorated with salamanders. He holds a wand in his right hand. There is a salamander beside him.

Traditional: Married man, honest and conscientious, knowledge, spiritual force, courage, strength.

Spectrum: (Vision) empowerment/control, dictatorial/meglomaniacal, manifesting/envisioning.

PENTACLES/Disks (Earth, Wealth, Solidity)

Page of Pentacles:

Phrase: "Student of science, objectivity, observes what's out there, seeks unbiased factual information; (reversed) materialistic, superficial, mechanistic, or self-reflection, sensory awareness.”

Image: A young man stands in a field of flowers holding a pentacle.

Traditional: Application, study, reflection, diligence, business management.

Spectrum: (Objectivity) dissect/analyze, reify/compartmentalize, separate/reduce.

Knight of Pentacles:

Phrase: ”Conservative, very trustworthy, somewhat 'square’ knight. Laborious, patient, grounded, dull; seeks practical feet; (reversed) dense, expedient, over-identified with appearance, money grabber; or naturalist, physician, master of the body.”

Image: A knight on a black horse bears a pentacle before him. His helmet is crowned with oak. A partially visored knight, his armor has pentacles upon it.

Traditional: Utility, responsibility, trustworthy, man, upholder of the establishment.

Spectrum: (Practicality) economy/utility, density/compulsivity, account/contain.

Queen of Pentacles:

Phrase: “Goddess of the home, mature sensuous nurturer of ordinary magic, self-trust and earthly splendors; lover of children, animals, plants and trees; physical consciousness; (reversed) agoraphobic, lethargic, over-parental, insecure; or self healing, communion with nature.”

Image: A queen, seated upon a ram's head throne. She sits in a flowery field beneath roses. Near the throne is a rabbit.

Traditional: Opulence, generosity, intelligence, greatness of soul.

Spectrum: (Ordinary Magic) home/happiness, phobic/carelessness, sensuous/wholesome.

King of Pentacles

Phrase: "Business magnate, ground-breaker, wheeler/dealer, worldly leader, wealth-maker, earthly power, natural integrity; (reversed) corruption and avarice; over-ambition, arrogance, hubris, or great inner strength, confidence, rootedness.

Image: A king on a bull's head throne. In his right hand he holds the scepter with orb at its end. His left rests upon a pentacle. In the background is a stone castle. His robe is decorated with a pattern of grape vines and ripe grapes.

Traditional: Solidification, business strength, practicality, perseverance.

Spectrum: (Responsibility) achievement/enterprise, corruption/failure, integrity/increase.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Rosengarten’s Lexicon of Tarot 3

Part III
The Major Arcana

Overview

In the Major Arcana, I have emphasized the principle of “archetypal invariants” as I believe each “trump” card represents a universal archetype of transformation. Jungian analysts Polly Young-Eisendrath and James A. Hall (1991) have isolated four “invariant principles” which they believe are present in all psychic contents, whether (in Jungian terms) ‘complex or archetype’, or whether in the service of ego or the archetypal self. Drawing from the philosophical works of Jung, R. Harre, Piaget, and many developmental, psychoanalytic, and constructivist theorists, the authors list the following four necessary and sufficient conditions which structure every archetype (that is, trump or Major card):

Invariants of Archetypal Reality*

1. Agency: the experience of personal causation, authorship of action, intentionality. [If they could speak to us, they might say: “I am an agent of________. My intention is ________.”]

2. Coherence: the experience of unity or “core being”; the collusion of body/psyche; the location of oneself as a point of view with an immediate knowledge of psychical boundaries and discrete bodily organization. [“I am organized around_____”]

3. Continuity: the experience of “going on being” over time that provides the functional connections that eventually result in foresight and nonverbal and verbal memory as the bases of self narratives that permit us to connect to the present with past and future. [“I am in the process of______. I am becoming_______.”]

4. Emotional arousal: the instinctual patterns of arousal, expression, and motivational readiness that are relatively fixed systems of subjective relating between persons, and with organisms and things, throughout the lifespan. [“I am aroused and motivated by_______.”]
*(See Chapter VII, Universality, Tarot And Psychology , for detailed explanation)

MAJOR ARCANA PHRASES

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[Note: Images describe the standard Rider Waite Tarot and descriptions are taken from Butler’s Dictionary of Tarot (1975). Meanings however are applicable to all decks. Spectrums are taken from the lexicons in TAROT AND PSYCHOLOGY: SPECTRUMS OF POSSIBILITY, Arthur Rosengarten, Ph.D., 2000, (Paragon)] All Rights Reserved.

O The FOOL

Phrase: "The Trickster; spirit in search of experience; total potentiality; open space; undifferentiated spirit; freedom to make mistakes, without situational karma; beginner's mind; crazy wisdom; divine child archetype; freedom; inventiveness and eccentricity; (reversed) foolishness, menace.”

Image: A young man poses on the edge of a precipice. In his left hand he carries a white rose. His dog barks with joy.

Traditional Meaning: Folly, mania, extravagance, anarchy, thoughtlessness, chaos, ether, alpha and omega, beginning and end.

Spectrum: Possibility, Openness, Discovery, Play.

I The MAGICIAN

Phrase: "The magician in the lab of life, he transforms darkness into light, difficulty into ease, chaos into form, the ideal into the material; inspired communication; right speech, skillful means; associated with Hermes or Mercury; quickness of mind; (reversed) magical (infantile) thinking, powerlessness.”

Image: A magician stands behind a table. In his upraised right hand is a wand. His left hand is extended downward pointing towards earth. Above his head is the lemniscate. On the table before him are the symbols of the four suits: pentacle, wand, cup, sword. Red roses bloom over him, red roses and lilies bloom before him.

Traditional: Communication skills, willpower or the exercise of will, self-confidence, beginning of consciousness; weakness of will, cunning and guile.

Spectrum: Will, Power, Transformation, Mastery.

II The HIGH PRIESTESS

Phrase: "Inner goddess of the psyche; keeper of the subtlest knowledge and impressions of past experience (the Akashic records of ancient Egypt); deep intuitive knowing; she equalizes opposites; (reversed) blocked psychic channels.”

Image: A priestess of Isis, the solar cross upon her breast. The waxing crescent beneath her left foot. She sits between the pillars Boaz and Jachin and before a screen decorated with pomegranates. In her lap is a rolled scroll of the Tora. On her head is a crown signifying waxing, waning and full Moon and probably The Triple Goddess as well.

Traditional: Spiritual bride and mother, destiny, path of secrecy, psychic abilities, memory, and the subconscious.

Spectrum: Insight, Penetration, Intuition, Mystery.

III The EMPRESS

Phrase: "The anima or feminine principle; the divine mother principle of nature, nurture, the womb, fertility, mother earth; universal love; associated with Venus, Demeter, Ishtar, Tara; self-acceptance/healing; (reversed) smothering, infertility.”

Image: An empress, seated and wearing a gown decorated with pomegranates. On her head a crown of stars. She holds a rod raised in her right hand. A device on the symbol for Venus with a heart. Ripe wheat in the foreground.

Traditional: Fruitfulness, fertility, action, universal love, beauty, happiness, warm mother goddess.

Spectrum: Nurturance, Love, Healing, Creation.

IV The EMPEROR

Phrase: "The leader, captain, explorer, father; animus figure or 'golden man within’; the masculine principle: logos, structure, order, organization; maintainer of the status quo; four-square reality; thought control; associated with Aries, ruled by Mars; (reversed) imperious, controlling, or inner law, the dharma.”

Image: Seated on a throne embellished with rams' heads. He holds the orb, without the cross, in his left hand. In his right hand the scepter which terminates in the Crux Ansata.

Traditional: Virility, stability, power, protection, patriarchy, vigilance, temporal power and strength.

Spectrum: Order, Structure, Construction, Authority

V The HIEROPHANT

Phrase: "The spiritual teacher and teachings; particularly concerned with the worldly realms of human ethics, values, spiritual needs; guru, psychologist, spiritual authority; the capacity 'to walk the mystical path with practical feet'; a bit cloistered and dependent upon family, flock, or following; (reversed) pontifical, overbearing, self-righteous, or inner guidance and inner authority.”

Image: A seated pope, bearing the keys of Saint Peter. The pose seen wearing a stylized version of the triple crown. In the left foreground are the crossed Keys of St. Peter. In the right foreground is the Papal Cross.

Traditional: External religion, orthodox doctrine, mercy, kindness, goodness, occult knowledge, bridegemaker (Pontiflex), one who links the outer world of the flesh and substance with the inner one of spirit and transubstantiality.

Spectrum: Guidance, Ethics, Learning, Understanding.

VI The LOVERS

Phrase: "The art of relationship; integration of opposites; true context for wholeness and intimacy; union of masculine and feminine; passion and compassion; (reversed) self love or hate, apathy.”

Image: An angel blessing Adam and Eve. Eve stands before the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, on which is wrapped the smiling snake. Adam stands before a tree of flames.

Traditional: Human love, wisdom versus pleasure, attraction, love, beauty, choice, sacred vs. profane love.

Spectrum: Relationship, Harmony, Accommodation, Union.

VII The CHARIOT

Phrase: " Taking action, challenge; change and variety; victory over obstacles; master of language and communication; political power; speaks to the masses, great expanse; triumphal nature; (reversed) inner journey, or ruthlessness and aggression.”

Image: A king borne in a triumphal car. The car is drawn by sphinxes, the canopy is embellished with stars, a lingam and yoni appears on the front of the chariot. On the king's breast is a radiant square. An eight-pointed star on the crown.

Traditional: Influence, conquest, victory, overcoming obstacles, triumph over nature, speech.

Spectrum: Attainment, Action, Pursuit, Challenge.

VIII STRENGTH

Phrase: "Spiritual strength; the feminine taming the instinctive; beauty and the beast myth; gentle mastery; courage to take risks; vitality and wholesomeness; yogin or bodhisattva; overcoming obstacles and patience, (reversed) psychic weakness, machismo, or inner strength.”

Image: A woman with the lemniscate above her head opening the jaws of a lion. A stern knight with his dog.

Traditional: Inner strength, friendship, consolidation of energy, force, firmness, spiritual strength, vitality.

Spectrum: Confidence, Endurance, Acceptance, Self-esteem.

IX The HERMIT

Phrase: "Wisdom seeker/spiritual journey; fiercely independent and determined; archetype of The Wise Old Man; cares little for outside approval; values aloneness; 'seeks his own salvation with diligence (Buddha)’; life purpose; path of individuation; introspection and self-containment, strong sense of self; (reversed) isolation, paranoia, or antisocial.”

Image: A monk carrying a lantern.

Traditional: Attainment, pilgrimage, loneliness, inner wisdom, hidden cosmic mind, the inner life.

Spectrum: Wisdom, Retreat, Introspection, Soul.

X The WHEEL OF FORTUNE

Phrase: "The secret of right timing; The Wheel of Life, knowing when to make your move, when to stay pat; knowledge of the laws of change, cycles, seasons, and all circular patterns; the wheel of dharma; unexpected opportunities; destiny; occult powers (siddhis); (reversed) stagnation, grasping, hesitation or inner certainty.”

Image: A wheel surmounted by a smiling sphinx (holding a drawn sword over her left shoulder. On the wheel are the letters T-A-R-O; interspersed between these letters are the Hebrew letters Yod-Heh-Vau-Heh, or Jahweh, Jehovah (the tetragrammaton or unmentionable name of God). Additionally the symbols for mercury, sulfur, salt and water. At the four corners of the card are the four Apocalyptic Beasts, the Cherubs of the Four Elements. On the right, Anubis rising. On the left Typhon descending the form of a snake.

Traditional: Fluidity of human life, fortune (good or bad), evolution, change, benefits, money, destiny.

Spectrum: Change, Timing, Flow, Opportunity.

XI JUSTICE

Phrase: "Balance, alignment, adjustment, equality, discriminating mind; poetic justice; taking control of karma; simplifying; sword of discrimination (Prajna); scales of balance; divine retribution; (reversed) inner balance or one-sidedness.”

Image: Justice seated, scales in left hand, upraised sword in her right; a square device ornaments her crown and further square, enclosing a circle is used to fasten her cloak.

Traditional: Equity, rightness, karma, law, balance, equilibrium, fairness, cosmic law, dharma.

Spectrum: Equanimity, Balance, Adjustment, Equality.

XII The HANGED MAN

Phrase: "Suspended mind; breaking patterns, 'turning it over'; detachment; turning the world upside down, and temporarily stepping off; stopping the world; witness consciousness, visualization, meditation; other ways of knowing; seeking options; (reversed) aloofness or dissociation.”

Image: The hanged man dangles from a Tau Cross of living trees, his head surrounded by a beatific penumbra. In either case it is important to note that the man is not suffering but seems to be having some beatific vision; also that his legs form the number four when the card is reversed.

Traditional: Wisdom, circumspection, intuition, voluntary sacrifice, punishment, occult wisdom, prophetic power.

Spectrum: Awareness, Suspension, Surrender, Transcendence.

XIII DEATH

Phrase: “ Universal principle of detachment and release; Thanatos, transformation; death/rebirth; completion; reincarnation; extinction, the end of the line; (reversed) ego death; lethargy, petrifaction, sleep.”

Image: Death in black armor riding a white horse. He carries in his left hand a flag on which is a white rose on a black field. In the field through which he rides are a dead king, a curious child, a despairing woman and a praying bishop. The sun is rising.

Traditional: Change, transformation, passage from lower to higher, ending, destruction, literal death, disaster, death and resurrection, rebirth, dark night of the soul.

Spectrum: Metamorphosis, Dissolution, Dying, Life.

XIV TEMPERANCE

Phrase: "The Middle Path; tempering the fires; patience; artistic pursuit; alchemy; blending and matching energy; synthesis and synergy; one foot on land, one foot on water; working with paradox; preparing, pacing, (reversed) incubation or intemperance.”

Image: An angel stands beside a pool, one foot in the water. From the pool a path leads to the mountains and the sunrise. Beside the pool are yellow irises. On her breast a triangle within a square. On her head is a solar symbol.

Traditional: Economy, moderation, accommodation, combination, reconciliation, modification, mixing of opposite ingredients in proper proportions.

Spectrum: Transmutation, Integration, Blending, Refinement.

XV The DEVIL

Phrase: "Bondage and duality, deception and delusion; humor and mirth; the shadow side: chaos and demons; not the Christian devil but associated with Pan (Greek God of Merriment and Sensuality); "living it up"; sensuality; intoxication; consciously courting the senses (Tantra); (reversed) shadow projections, the power shadow, evil.”

Image: A claw-footed devil perched on a black pedestal. His right hand raised, the first and second fingers together as are the third and fourth. The sign of Saturn is his palm. Goat's horn, between which is an inverted pentagram. His left hand holds a torch, inverted, which has fired the tail of his male captive. On the right of the Devil is the woman, whose tail incorporates the pomegranate as part of its design. Both captives are loosely chained and horned. Waite has intended an obvious connection between this card and VI, the Lovers.

Traditional: Evil, fear, fate, misery, adultery, Pan, instinctive behavior, Siva, limitation, bondage to material things.

Spectrum's of Possibility: Separation, Opposition, Deception, Domination.

XVI The TOWER

Phrase: "Need for radical and immediate change; sudden awakening (satori); attack from outside, crumbling within; time to abandon ship; ‘ivory tower’; restructuring as former position no longer tenable; laser intensity; (reversed) shake-up of core values or self-imprisonment.”

Image: A tower struck by lightning. It is aflame from the upper windows and standing beside the sea.

Traditional: Unpleasant transitional condition, ruin, disruption, punishment of pride, downfall, mental obstruction, fall due to misuse of the intellect.

Spectrum: Destruction, Resistance, Evacuation, Liberation.

XVII The STAR

Phrase: "Emergence, coming out, self-esteem, becoming a star; phoenix rising out of the ash; the guiding light; alchemy between the light above reflected off the pool of emotions (below) producing beautiful winged creature; purification, healing; (reversed) stagefright, or ceremonial magick.”

Image: A naked woman kneeling on the shore. She pours one vase into water, one on to land. Behind her are eight stars, each having eight points. Seven are white and the eighth and central is yellow.

Traditional: Hope, immortality, inner light, possibilities.

Spectrum: Luminosity, Inspiration, Emergence, Hope.

XVIII The MOON

Phrase: "The unconscious, the non-rational, magic; the universal feminine principle (the yin); nighttime and moonlight, the dream world; fantasy, romance, emotion and intuition; pulls inward, irritability; (reversed) ‘lunacy’, the muse, or emotional flooding.”

Image: An equatorial crescent. Below it are two dogs, one of them howling. A lobster emerging from a pool at the bottom.

Traditional: Darkness, deception, error, illusion, intuition, feelings and sentiments, mystery, romance, water and the female element in general, soul.

Spectrum: Psyche, Imagination, Fluctuation, Emotion.

XIX The SUN

Phrase: "Consciousness; the light of day, the rational and visible; vitality and life force; the yang; teamwork and partnership; daytime activity, vibrancy, creativity, play; radiant light, healing, energy; masculinity, heroism, the ego; (reversed) egotism, burnout, or agni yoga.”

Image: A naked child smiling from the back of a white horse. He carries in his left hand a long banner on a pole. Behind him is a walled garden with sunflowers visible above it. Above, the sun in glory.

Traditional: Consciousness, super-rational, willpower, joy, universal radiance, splendor of the material world, enlightenment, happiness.

Spectrum: Consciousness, Energy, Activity, Awareness.

XX JUDGMENT

Phrase: "Finality; proclamation, coming to completion; the actualization of deep discrimination; ability to give birth to new forms; sounding your horn, taking a stand; choice and responsibility; outcome and resolution; (reversed) judgmentalness, self criticism, inner certainty.”

Image: Angel seen blowing the last trumpet. The dead rise from the grave. The Angel only, blowing a trumpet.

Traditional: Judgment, choice, resurrection, outcome, completion, the last judgment, accomplishment.

Spectrum: Resolution, Completion, Awakening, Accountability.

XXI The WORLD

Phrase: The Universe, integration of the whole, the great mandala; the dance of life, bringing spirit into the material world; the principle of wholeness and individuation; the final trump, completion; perfection and the absolute; (reversed) the inner world, self-realization, sufi dancing.”

Image: A woman holding a piece of cloth strategically. She is surrounded by a wreath of leaves and berries. At the top of the wreath is an eagle, below left is a bull, below right is a lion.

Traditional: Completion, perfection of man, travel, cosmic consciousness, the reward, uroborus, Brahma, assured success.

Spectrum: Wholeness, Universality, Participation, Celebration.

Dr. Art Rosengarten
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Official Site of Tarot of the Nine Paths home page

Monday, February 8, 2010

Sepharial: The Science of Numerology 1

Sepharial: (The Numbers Book, The Science of Numerology, 1957 UK; The Book of Charms and Talismans, UK) (KABALISTIC SYSTEM) (Walter Richard Old (Gornold apr.1895), b 20 Mar 1864 - Theosophy (Theosophical Society) influence - resigned, expose printed vs. leadership claims (the WQ Judge affair) 1894 - 1888-1896 Astrologer Sepharial established - 1896 Astrological Society - by 1905 contributing author to British Journal of Astrology - associate of AE Waite 1913 Alchemy Society (short lived) - British Astrological Society 1921-22 Sepharial President - much effort spent on speculation theories - wrote extensively on the Kabbala and its connection with Astrology - d 23 Dec 1929)

The Tarot Trump descriptions were published in the books, A Manual of Occultism, 1911 and The Kabala of Numbers, Part 1, 1914 - note that while Sepharial uses AE Waite's imagery (see cards 6, 13 and 19) he does not follow the Golden Dawn order of cards (Justice = 11, Fool = 0). His order is that of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor (Justice = 8, Fool = 22), examplars of which are the Tarots of Saint-Germain, C.C. Zain and Jesus Iglesias Janeiro (the Major Arcana having 22 cards).

Zero

Zero stands for Eternity, immensity, the infinite, infinitude, the universe in concept, Divine conception, ideation universality, circumambulation, navigation, circulation. Also, for circumference, limitation, privation, restriction and imperfection. Thus it is the universal paradox, the infinitely great and the infinitely small, Boundless Being and the Atom. Its symbol is the planet Pluto.

The cipher "0" is associated with the repetitive principle for, when it is added to 1, it becomes ten and when doubly added becomes 100, and so on. Thus it shows transformation and the long term plan of action. It can also signify negation. It has rule over atomic power or force and, from the standpoint of human character or destiny, it will rule the unknown or unseen factor which is often refered to as the "X" factor. In the 20th century the planetary scale was stepped up to 10 by the discovery of the planet Pluto. It is interesting to note that both the planetary scale and the century involved have the cipher "0" amplified. This planet has definite rule over the Atom and the "H" bomb, which have both been developed since the discovery of Pluto, and whose function of annihilation is one of the attributes of this planet.

ONE

One is the symbol of the manifest Deity, who came forth from the Abyss of Nothingness, or Infinitude. It is the symbol of the Sun, the light that shone in the darkness of the world's great night and became the source of all revelation, of heat and light, of wisdom and love, the vortex center of the universe of worlds, the archetype. Hense it is symbolised as a circle with a point in the center.

It is the beginning; that by which all the rest of the nine numbers are created. The basis of all numbers is ONE; the basis of all life is ONE. This number represents all that is creative, individual and positive. It stands for, boldness and activity, as well as for powers of organizing and executive ability.

The Kabalistic Letter: A
The Divine Principle: Over-all Dominion
The Intellectual Attribute: Austerity
The Emotional Attribute: Selfishness
The Material Factor: Bureaucracy
The Planetary Association: Mercury
The Appropriate Metal: Quicksilver
The Vibratory Colour: Grey
The Divinatory or Tarot Signification: Arcanum I The Magician - denotes Will, Dexterity

Tarot Arcanum I The Magician:
Symbol of the Creator, who produces the universe apparently by the magical power of thought. The Adept.
Symbol of the creative will, volition, desire, mastery of physical forces.
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The Magician - represented by the figure of a man holding a baton or wand over the three symbolical forms: the Cup, the Sword and the Denier. Around him are springing up roses and lilies. Over his head is a double nimbus in the form of the figure 8. This is the Magician, he who is master of the four worlds, the four elements and the four principles, who is capable of exercising the creative will - an Adept.

In the Spiritual world he stands for the Creative Will.
In the Intellectual world - the pure volition. Transformation; resolution; the ability to propound and to resolve a problem; to control the mind.
In the Psychic world - desire, which is the lower expression of the will; the ability to generate and to destroy; the control of the psychic forces and the mastery of the passions.
In the Physical world - the control of the elements; the mastery of physical forces; the power to acquire and to dispose of the material benefits of life. A great inventor.

The Number 1 is the number of Unity. It represents the source of all creation, is indicative of the Divine Being and is the symbol of Supreme Will in action.

Character:

The number One (planetary influence, Mercury) rules the brain and the mind and hence will give good intellectual capacity. It will attract to pursuits and work of a mental rather than of a physical character and is associated with learning, education and the teaching or training of others, and gives capacity for the holding of executive and administrative positions. There is a combination of independence and yet of adaptability, a capacity to aquire a myriad of facts and yet be able to coagulate these into one fixed line of action should the latter be desired. Knowledge will be gained through observation and travel and considerable travel is denoted although much of this will be of a short or medium long distance nature rather than of a long distance or overseas character. There will be a capacity for writing and certain forms of literary work, for journalism and contact with newspapers and associated publications.

TWO

Two is the symbol of relativity, antithesis, witness and confirmation. It denotes the binomal and "pairs of opposites", as positive and negative, active and passive, male and female, light and dark, etc., in relation to Unity, which stands for the first named of these, two standing for the second of them. It represents the dualism of manifested life, as God and Nature, Spirit and Matter, Osiris and Isis, and their interrelations. It denotes the Law of Alteration in natural operations. It embodies the idea of procreation, fruition, combination, relationship of opposites, the two conditions: manifest and unmanifest; the explicit and implicit; buying and selling. It is symbolised by the Moon.

The Moon is related to two numbers, of which the number "2" gives the negative vibration. This can be understood as being the position when the Moon is in conjuction with the Sun, ie., New Moon, and the Moon throwing no refected light upon the Earth. This number denotes relativity, vacillation and change. The Moon also stands for form and the growth of form and is the female counterpart of Number One, the two together creating the third number.

The Kabalistic Letter: B
The Divine Principle: Manifestations in Material Form of Spiritual Conceptions
The Intellectual Attribute: The Analysing of Thought Processes
The Emotional Attribute: Calmness
The Material Factor: Ambition
The Zodiacal Association: Virgo (Sapphire)(Aug 23-Sep 22)
The Appropriate Stones: Pink Jasper, Hyacinth
The Vibratory Colour: Dark Blue striped with White
The Divinatory or Tarot Signification: Arcanum II Veiled Isis - denotes Science

Tarot Arcanum II The High Priestess:
Symbol of the Divine Sophia, creative imagination (allied to the creative will), Isis or Maya.
Symbolises the Gnosis, the creative power, attraction and repulsion, the law of the sexes, chemical affinity, imagination.
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The High Priestess - represented by the figure of a woman seated, her head surmounted by a solar disc between horns. On her breast is a cross, and on her lap the Tora or Book of the Law, while at her feet is the lunar crescent. She is seated between the pillars of the Temple called Jachin and Boaz - Security and Strength. It represents Isis, Maya and the Virgin Mother of the world. This Arcanum is also called "The Door of the Hidden Sanctuary".

In the Spiritual world it denotes the Divine Sophia, the creative imagination, the universal matrix, in and through which the supreme will is manifested.
In the Intellectual world - the Binary or reflection of Unity, the law of alternation, the pairs of opposites, positive and negative, etc.; the reason, which weighs and balances, discerning by comparison of known things.
In the Psychic world - attraction and repulsion, the relations of the sexes; love and hatred.
In the Physical world - chemical affinity (as acids and alkalis); trade, commerce, interchange, barter. The woman related to the man for the futherance of the ends of destiny.

The Number 2 is the number of Duality. It represents the blending of the masculine and feminine priciples and is associated with the dual functions of Spirit and Matter, of the visible and invisible worlds.

Character:

The number Two (Zodiacal influence, the sign Virgo) give you a natural power of discrimination and perception which will express itself in a natural manner through business and associated channels. You will be able to carry out the details of affairs without losing sight if the ultimate goal towards which you are working. You can carry out any routine set you by others and, when necessary, can evolve a routine of your own proving satisfactory to all concerned. It does not take you long to weigh up the pros and cons of affairs and your power of perception enables you to see beneath the surface to the truth that others may try to hide. You are appreciative of neatness and tidiness and prefer proper discipline to lackadaisical methods. The sign will cause you to be critical and you will need to use discretion in the expressing of criticism, for anything of a hurtful nature, even though it may be true, could be taken exception to by the ones concerned, and misunderstandings could arise.

Three

Three is the trilogy of Life, Substance and Intelligence, applicable to the Divine Being; of Force, Matter, and Consciousness, applicable to natural EXISTENCE. Creation, Preservation and Resolution. Father, Mother and Child - Osiris, Isis and Horus - God, Nature and Man. The three dimensions of space. The three postulates - thought, the thinker and the thing. The three parts of Time - past, present, and future. Thus it denotes in itself the idea of extension in both time and space, and stands for penetration, procedure and pervasion. It is symbolised by the planet Jupiter, a planet which plays a most important role both in astrology and in all systems of numerology. It is the beginning of what may be termed one of the main lines of force that runs right through all the numbers from one to nine. It has a special relation to every third number in the series such as three, six, nine. These numbers added together in any direction produce a nine as their final digit.

The number also stands for inclusion, comprehension, understanding, judgment; for increase, fecundity and propagation; thus and for self-expansion, the harvesting of the fruits of action, reward, equity, justice. Reproduction in the material world. Fatherhood, familism. By extension of self it becomes a symbol of sympathy, benevolence, charity, philanthropy, etc., and, by reflection, of joy, good fortune, and plenty. It is denoted by the planet Jupiter.

The Kabalistic Letter: G
The Divine Principle: Forgiveness
The Intellectual Attribute: Understanding
The Emotional Attribute: Tenderness
The Material Factor: Enjoyment or Luxury
The Zodiacal Association: Libra (Opal)(Sep 23-Oct 22)
The Appropriate Stones: Diamond, Opal
The Vibratory Colour: Dark Blue or Ultramarine
The Divinatory or Tarot Signification: Arcanum III Isis Unveiled - denotes Marriage or Action

Tarot Arcanum III The Empress:
The first product of the Divine Will and Imagination, Urania.
Symbolises ideation, production, growth, riches, plenty.
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The Empress, otherwise Isis-Urania - represented by a female figure reclining. She holds the symbol of Power in her hand, and at her feet is the Ankh or symbol of life - Venus. At her feet the corn springs full-eared and plentiful. She is surrounded by the beauties of nature. She represents Nature in association with the superior world, or Super-nature. She is the first product of the Supreme Will and Imagination, the progeny of Divine Wisdom and Love, and unites in herself intelligence and power in their highest manifestation.

In the Spiritual world - this Arcanum denotes the Knowledge of two worlds, the manifest and unmanifest, the past and future united in the eternal Now.
In the Intellectual world - ideation, the productive power of the mind, discrimination.
In the Psychic world - the art of generation, fecundity, parentage.
In the Physical world - the power of expansion, of multiplication; growth, development, wealth, plenty.

The Number 3 is the number of the Trinity. It represents Spirit, Soul and Body. It is a very powerful number, associated at times with marriage and sex, and with the offspring. Wisdom, Love and Truth are three of its tenets.

Character:

The number Three (Zodiacal influence, the sign Libra) gives you a strong desire for peace and harmony and causes you to be sensitive to anything of a deliberately discordant nature. You are naturally courteous and desirous of being on good terms with other people, but you will always need to maintain a proper spirit of independence so as to prevent certain people from imposing upon you who are aware of your natural disinclination to enter into arguements or disputes. A tendency towards giving way to the line of least resistance will need to be faced up to and overcome. You will be attracted towards the social and public sides of life and should do all you can to further these interests. Do not let domestic matters or the attempted domination of those in your surroundings have a restrictive influence over you. You can be very adaptable but you can also be very easily upset by adverse criticism or temporary rebuffs, and inclined to take things more to heart than you should do.

Sepharial: The Science of Numerology 2

Four

Four is the number of reality and concretion. Solids, the cube or square, the cross. Physical laws, logic, reason. Appearance, physiognomy, science, cognition. Segmentation, partition, order, classification. The Wheel of Fortune, the Wheel of Ixion, the Wheel of the Law, sequence, enumeration. The intellect which discerns between the noumenal and phenomenal, thought and perception. Discernment, discretion, relativity. It is symbolised by the Sun, of which it is the negative number. Being a negative number it is, therefore, formative instead of creative as with the number One. It shows a sequence of organic changes. It is a number which is associated with alchemical processes involving sublimation and transmutation and all mutation of atomic structure, ancient or modern. This is also the number of opposition, rebellion and explosion and, in the latter, may be likened to the principle of chain re-action, and thus links with the modern scientific trend of nuclear fission.

The Kabalistic Letter: D
The Divine Principle: Wisdom
The Intellectual Attribute: Absorption of Knowledge
The Emotional Attribute: Pride
The Material Factor: Continuity of Effort
The Zodiacal Association: Scorpio (Topaz)(Oct 23-Nov 21)
The Appropriate Stones: Carbuncle, Turquoise
The Vibratory Colour: Yellow tinged with Red
The Divinatory or Tarot Signification: Arcanum IV The Sovereign - denotes Realisation

Tarot Arcanum IV The Stone Cube:
Realisation of the virtues, affirmation and negation, discussion and solution. Happiness by attainment. Material effects. The concrete. Establishment, foundation.
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The Stone Cube, or the Emperor - represented by a man of mature age seated upon the Chair of Initiation, the Masonic Cube. In his right hand is the sceptre of deific power, the ansated cross; and in his left the globe, the symbol of possession.

In the Spiritual world - this figure represents the realisation, successively and continuously, of the Divine Virtues in oneself.
In the Intellectual world - the realization of the idea of related and dependent existence; affirmation; negation; discussion and solution.
In the Psychic world - attainment of happiness by the satisfaction of desires; the realisation of the dual nature in male and female successions.
In the Physical world - the realization of material effects. The reward of effort and correct judgment. The concrete. Foundation, establishment.

The Number 4 denotes solidity and solidarity and is often associated with the Cross, with the four seasons of the year, with the four suits in cards. Intellectually it denotes the realising of desires and wishes as a result of affirmation, plus emotional intensity and ardour.

Character:

The number Four (Zodiacal influence, the sign Scorpio) gives you a degree of reserve and in certain respects will cause you to be secretive, although this will not necessarily interfere with your everyday associations. It shows that you will display considerable resourcefulness in the handling of people and affairs and as a result will work through difficulties somewhat more easily than may be anticipated, either by yourself or others. You will express more resistance and fighting capacity than those around you may recognise, and should anyone attempt to take an unfair advantage of you they will be extremely surprised at the resistance you will put forth in the protecting of your interests. You will have the courage of your own convictions to say and do the things you consider to be correct, will always try to push ahead with affairs in your own way and will not let others impose upon you or force you to do things against your will.

Five

Five is the number of variety, adaptability and mental change. It has rule over the outer consciousness which deals with the material factors of life and the process of discrimination, analysis, sometimes the tearing of things to pieces as in criticism. All forms of literary expression and the exercise of local government come under its vibration. It is symbolised by the planet Mercury.

In its constructive aspect it gives a wonderful elasticity of thought and inspiration which can be expressed in speech and writing thus making oratory and the written word key-notes of the numbers influence. From the less favourable angle the vibration brings a danger of active plagiarism. Vacillation and indecision are concomitant factors and if given way to, will weaken the character and cause ultimate loss of prestige and reputation. The number is associated with quicksilver, the volatile qualities of which are well known, as it can split into a myriad particles in a moment of time and yet coalesce again just as quickly. The number often expresses itself in a dual capacity, drawing out the potential for both good and evil, ranging from the highest intellectual attainment to the lowest degree of mental debasement.

The Kabalistic Letter: E
The Divine Principle: Reflection
The Intellectual Attribute: Reverie
The Emotional Attribute: Repose
The Material Factor: Idleness
The Planetary Association: Jupiter
The Appropriate Metal: Tin, (quicksilver)
The Vibratory Colour: Purple
The Divinatory or Tarot Signification: Arcanum V The Hierophant - denotes Religion or Law

Tarot Arcanum V The Hierophant:
Denotes the universal law, religion, discipline, precept and teaching. Liberty, regulation.
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The Hierophant, or Master (of the Secrets) - on his head is the Mitre, in his left hand the triple Cross. His right hand is uplifted with the sign of the Benediction. At his feet are the keys of the Kingdom, which unlock the Gates of Life and Death, of Heaven and Hell. He is the symbol of the Grand Master.

In the Spiritual world - it denotes the Universal Law, by which the infinite manifestations of the Divine Being are regulated.
In the Intellectual world - Religion, the connection between the Infinite and the Finite, the One and the many.
In the Psychic world - the regulation of the passions; self-control; discipline.
In the Physical world - Liberty within the limits of the law; direction and control of natural forces.

The Number 5 is the number of Man. It is connected with the Pentagram or five-pointed star which in itself is the symbol of man with his arms outstretched and his feet firmly placed upon the earth, with his head and eyes looking upward to heaven.

Character:

The number Five (planetary influence, Jupiter) will give you a broad and tolerant view upon life and will strengthen your spirit of comradeship. You will always be willing to help others in trouble but will need to maintain commonsense as there will be times when certain persons will seek to take an unfair advantage of your goodness of spirit. Religious and philosophical matters will appeal to you, there will be a strong desire for travel and it is possible for the missionary spirit to be strong. The spirit of optimism will invariably be marked but on occasions can cause you to experience loss when you permit yourself to take certain possibilities too much for granted or rely too much upon the element of luck or chance. The main essential to bear in mind is that whilst keeping optimistic you should also be practical.

Six

Six is the number of co-operation, of marriage, interlacing, link or connection. it represents the two triads in their interaction, the Seal of Solomon or interlaced triangles. The interplay of spirit and matter, the human soul; psychology, divination, communion, phychism, telepathy, spychometry, and alchemy. The Great Work. Co-ordination, concord, harmony, peace, satisfaction, happiness and material well-being. Intercourse and reciprocity. Connubiality, the relations of the sexes. It is indicated by the planet Venus.
In certain instances the number Six is considered a rather weak number, and its weakness is intensified in terms of human character and destiny if more than one Six appears in the computation of the name-number or the number horoscope. Readers will recall references which have been made in biblical and other writings to the beastiality of the number 666 which is really three sixes and is termed "the number of the Beast". When two or more sixes occur the principle of temptation becomes emphasised and exercises a malign influence over life and destiny.

The Kabalistic Letters: U, V, W
The Divine Principle: Intuition
The Intellectual Attribute: Aspiration
The Emotional Attribute: Self-indulgence
The Material Factor: Independence
The Planetary Association: Venus
The Appropriate Metal: Copper
The Vibratory Colour: Blue
The Divinatory or Tarot Signification: Arcanum VI The Two Paths - denotes Temptation

Tarot Arcanum VI The Two Ways:
Denotes discrimination, knowledge of good and evil, conscience; Privilege and duty, instinct, sex relations.
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The Two Ways, or The Lovers - Beneath the outspread hands of a flaming Cherub stand a man and woman, with the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge upon either hand. Around the Tree of Knowledge the Serpent is coiled.

In the Spiritual world - this Arcanum symbolises the knowledge of good and evil; the conscience.
In the Intellectual world - the laws of Necessity and Liberty, of Duty and Privilege.
In the Psychic world - the choice between denial or consent to the promptings of the lower nature. The determination of conduct. The experience of indulgence and abstention. Instinct.
In the Physical world - the antagonism of natural forces; dissociation; disintegration; fractures, divorce, parting.

The Number 6 is the number that shows the dividing path of Virtue and Vice. It signifies the strife between conscience and passion, the choice between the two paths of good and evil. It denotes the antagonism of natural forces.

Character:

The number Six (planetary influence, Venus) being ruled by the planet of affection, of love and of beauty, will cause your desire for companionship to be exceedingly strong and, therefore, all matters to do with affections, with marriage and with friendships will prove to be very important and a great deal of your happiness or unhappiness in life will depend upon the nature of the ties and associations which your form. If these are of a constructive and helpful nature they will bring happiness and enable you to make considerable progress in life, but should they be of an impulsive and unwise character, then they will bring unhappiness, depression and an interference with your progress. There will be an appreciation of the artistic side of affairs even if circumstances prevent you from developing any form of art yourself. Sometimes the artistic faculty will find scope in painting, decoration, etc., even in the preparing of foods in a manner both appetising and appealing to the sight as well as to the taste.
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